Valuable Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the earliest writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the destruction as a violation.
Numerous artefacts were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
